...natural resources, and the polluting of rivers, lakes, and oceans. One idea now debated is whether or not the government should require communities to participate in recycling programs. Although some argue that individual communities are free to choose if they take part, many people believe that due to the interconnectedness of the planet, governments have an obligation to encourage and require communities to participate in the recycling effort. Some overly optimistic people contend that natural resources are for the most part replaceable, such as trees, or too abundant to worry about, such as oil. However, the fact is that currently trees are being cut down faster than it is possible to repopulate the forests. Furthermore, water is a finite resource that is polluted from oil refining and the creation of many modern products, for example plastic. In fact water shortages and water pollution are both problems affecting most every country around the world. Certainly, without clean, fresh water, life would not be possible. Some people assert that it is too difficult or complicated for citizens to recycle. However, logistically recycling requires only a separate trash bin for tossing in plastic, glass, aluminum and steel products. Newspaper, cardboard and office paper can be collected in another box. Once set up, recycling is as easy as throwing away materials in one trash can. The communities set up...
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...Should Recycling be Mandatory for All Americans? Do you like to live in a place where trash is all around you? The average person living in North America produces 1600 pounds of garbage a per year, that is 29 pounds a week, and around 4.4 pounds of garbage in a day. Just sit back and think if everybody did their own part on recycling? Once all people stand for the cause and work together this problem can be solved sooner than later. People not recycling have created many problems for humans, wildlife, and sea creatures living on the earth. It should be mandatory that each city in the United States have a recycling program put into place. Not having these programs already in place has caused a change in the climate. There is a demand for new resources and trees to be cut down due to not recycling. Carbon dioxide that is processed by plants has decreased with the removal of trees. When trees are cut down fuel is needed to transport and process new paper. The fuel is being burned causing it to be released into the environment as greenhouse gases and this is contributing to the environment. The environment must process papers that do not reach landfills. After the paper goes into a landfill it must remain there until the ground absorbs it and processes it. Even though paper degrades at a faster rate than other manufactured items such as; Styrofoam and plastics, it is better to recycle paper than to consume new paper. Landfills are overcrowded due to human waste. All paper that...
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...Recycling Environmental Science October 18, 2012 Abstract This research paper is about the pros and cons of recycling and how it affects our environment in positive and negative ways. The research used for this paper is the most up to date and relevant to the subject. Mandatory recycling is taking place in some communities around the United States and has its benefits and negative effects on the community as well as the environment. The recycling process for Aluminum cans is complex and is beneficial to the environment, although others believe the opposite. There are certain things to look forward to concerning recycling as there are negative impacts. Recycling Pros & Cons Recycling is something some individuals have in mind while others do not worry about the topic too much, but it does have its benefits as well as its negative outcomes. When we recycle it benefits the environment, because there less demand for raw material, which is extracted from the earth. By recycling we can just melt and process the material we already have and use it again and again. We do not have to use it for the same thing we could use the material for other purposes. When aluminum is recycled as well as plastic you receive a CRV back, which is a tax that is charged to the consumer when he or she purchased the product. Not everybody likes to donate money to the government and by taking their aluminum cans and plastic bottles to a recycling center he or she receives in return their money...
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...Recycling – A Call for Change By: Nicole Hurley Our trash has become a growing problem not only for our environment, but for our economy as well. In America in one day, a single person creates 4.6 pounds of trash, which is more than any other country in the world. Only 1.5 pounds of this trash is recycled per person per day. This totals out to us having created 251 million tons of trash in America in one year, and we have only recycled 81 million tons of it. These statistics need to change, and one way we can do this is with mandatory recycling. Mandatory recycling can produce many different benefits, such as improving the economic development of the United States, saving the American family valued dollars, saving our natural resources, and sustaining the environment for future generations. By converting waste into valuable products, recycling creates jobs and adds significant value to the U.S. economy. Recycling is a big industry, and in 2000 it employed over 1.1 million people and provided an annual payroll of $37 billion. This was a great help to our country’s job creation and economic development. Statistics from the National Recycling Coalition show that incinerating 10,000 tons of waste creates one job and land filling 10,000 tons of waste creates six jobs, but the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) shows that recycling 10,000 tons of waste creates 36 jobs (City of Fort Collins, 2008). More job openings would increase the productivity of our economy because people...
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...Environmental Essay Recycling is such a basic step in preserving our environment that is astonishes me how many Big Bear Valley families don’t do it, not to mention the 100,000 or so visitors we get each year. On the various trash days the lack of green cans is shocking. When I take my families recycling to the Garstin Road trash site each week the overflowing regular dumpsters as opposed to the barely used recycling dumpsters is very telling. While walking our shore line or hiking in our forest seeing empty bottles of water or other beverages containers left as trash is heart breaking. Our landfill resource in the valley is limited. If the recyclable materials were eliminated from the landfill it would ensure the longevity of its use for generations to come. Early education is a must in tackling this problem. Starting in kindergarten it should be mandatory throughout the school district that every classroom institutes a recycling program that will hopefully carry through to the homes of our students. Recycling and the importance of protecting our environment should be mandatory curriculum at the elementary school level (all six years) as well as recycling trash cans in every classroom. One afternoon a week I volunteer in the county special needs classroom at North Shore Elementary working with children who have autism and down syndrome. I’ve had two main classroom projects this year. The first has been having recycling trash cans in the classroom, teaching the...
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...announced, “As you sort everything into the right bins, you recall that recycling is helping your community and protecting the environment” (Bachman). As a responsible human in society, recycling is very important because citizens save 130 million tons of scrap metals, paper, plastics, rubber, glass, and textiles (Wiener, Jhen, et al.). Recycling can eliminate landfills, too. In the United States there are 13,091 landfills, and there are 261 landfills in each state. A landfill is a location where people dispose recyclable materials. Out of the 13,091 landfills 10,000 of them are already filled up (Kraft). The U.S makes 220 million tons of waste per year (“EPA Report Shows Progress”). Yet, where does...
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...Is Recycling Efficient? Antonio Childress Baker College ECN 202 Sections 00630 Mr. R. Jordan May 19, 2012 Is Recycling Efficient Recycling is the process of converting waste products into reusable materials; it is an ancient practice with many modern applications, recycling differs from reuse, which simply means using a product again. It refers to the recovery and reuse of materials from spent products. In recent years recycling has become a major part of environmental policy, mainly because of the increased costs of solid- and hazardous-waste disposal, the scarcity of natural resources, and the growing concern over polluted land, water, and air. There are two types of recycling operations: internal and external. Internal recycling is the reuse in a manufacturing process of materials that are a waste product of that process. Internal recycling is common in the metals industry. External recycling is the reclaiming of materials from a product that has been worn out or considered obsolete. An example of external recycling is the collection of old newspapers and magazines for the manufacture of newsprint or other paper products. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 30 percent of U.S. solid waste is recycled. About 15 percent is incinerated and about 55 percent goes into landfills. Recycling is appealing because it seems to offer a way to simultaneously reduce the amount of waste disposed in landfills and save natural resources....
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...Recycling Helps Reduce Global Warming In the past 20 years, it has become very evident that recycling can reduce global warming and help save our planet for future generations. We all enjoy being able to take a vacation to the beach or to the mountains and enjoy a clean healthy environment. It would be a shame if our grandchildren couldn’t enjoy this in the future. According to WN.com, the United States generates HALF of the world's garbage each year, which equals about 250 million tons of waste, with only 30% being recycling. That is a huge impact on the ecosystem and the effects it produces towards global warming. It’s astounding that the USA can contribute so much, but take into account, we are a wasteful society. The good news is, this can and should be changed by simply increasing our efforts individually to reduce the waste. Instead of people polluting the earth, what we could do is make recycling mandatory by putting taxes on the volume of rubbish householders put out for the sanitation workers to collect. This in turn will make people want to recycle and act as an incentive to dispose of anything recyclable at recycling point for which they do not have to pay. This would encourage people to want to recycle and save money for other necessities. In many other countries they do recycle, such as Europe. In Switzerland the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) collect there rubbishes to recycle. SBB recycles 2.5 million plastic bottles, weighing 65,000 kg, 2 million aluminum cans...
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...| The affects of Curbside Recycling | | | Kristen Grycza | 9/23/2012 | | Curbside recycling has increased in the last decade, as awareness of our surroundings continues to grow. Many Americans have begun recycling, but few realize the impact that is made, on the environment, and the economy. “As EPA’s Recycling Economic Information Study (158 pp, 1701K) points out, recycling industries not only offer higher paying jobs than the national average, they also prevent communities from disposing of valuable commodities in landfills.” Curbside recycling has become so popular that some towns require it. As participation in curbside recycling grows, the amount of solid waste that goes to landfills and incinerators is decreased. Some people predict that participants in curbside recycling may continue to grow, making landfills a thing of the past. Recycling programs across the United States have changed dramatically in the past forty years. The environmental movement in the 1970s started awareness and brought the ideas of conservation and environmental protection into public awareness. The idea of recycling and reusing waste began to materialize at this time. Initial recycling programs were modest. They were mostly made up of businesses and individuals selling used commodities for reprocessing...
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...Aluminum Recycling How many times have our parents asked us to take the trash out? Probably more than most of us care to remember. Instead of asking if we took out the trash, parents are now beginning to ask if we sorted the trash. The purpose of my Senior Project was to promote awareness to the benefits of recycling. My community service consisted of promoting, researching and participating in the recycling of aluminum cans. There are many financial and environmental benefits to recycling aluminum and aluminum can be easily collected and reused over and over again. People need to be aware of what is happening in the environment and also be educated on what they can do to help. We need to recycle aluminum because it saves natural resources, time, money, and energy. In one year, the United States produces 160 million tons of garbage, this is enough metal to build two million automobiles, enough wood to construct a million homes, enough paper to publish all the daily newspapers in the country, enough aluminum to rebuild the entire American fleet 71 times, and would fill 11 million garbage trucks. Landfills are quickly increasing in number and size. One of the advantages of recycling is that it helps keep extra waste out of our landfills and incinerators. The sum of existing landfills is increasing because of the lack of care to help the environment. People are lazy and they cannot understand the effects of not recycling. Landfills take up space and...
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...What is recycling? 3 | Table Of contents | 3 | What is recycling? | 3 | Origins | 3,4 | Supply | 4,5 | Waste recycling in Abu Dhabi | 5 | Sorting waste | 5 | Workplace Recycling Programs | 6 | Public Recycling Venues | 6 | Government Initiatives | 7 | Distribution of Waste Bins for Villas | 7 | Underground Waste System | 7 | Tariff System for Business Establishmentsh | 8 | Conclusion | 8 | References | What is recycling? Recycling is a process using materials (waste) into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from land filling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to plastic production. Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third component of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" waste hierarchy. Origins Recycling has been a common practice for most of human history, with recorded advocates as far back as Plato in 400 BC. During periods when resources were scarce, archaeological studies of ancient waste dumps show less household waste (such as ash, broken tools and pottery)—implying more waste was being recycled in the absence of new material. Supply For a recycling program to work, having a large, stable supply of recyclable material is crucial. Three legislative options have been used to create...
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...being an apocalyptic wasteland where war and famine have brought our race to its knees. Unlike the previous case no doubt a future where mankind’s arrogance, greed, short sightedness doomed the future of our race and planet. What could lead to such a drastically different scenarios? Where did these hypothetical futures diverge? Why did one path succeed with today’s problems and the other not? What it boils down to in my opinion is a successful management of resources. Having taken that second of reflection I realized recycling at its core is nothing more than a management of resources. Not only that, I believe it has the potential to solve many of the challenges we face today, while pointing us toward the path of a successful future. Therefore, I feel a drastic increase in community and national recycling could exponentially improve our unity with other citizens, bolster our economy, and protect our environment while strengthening it at the same time. Recycling Overhaul: Path to a Prosperous Future Have you ever stopped for a second to reflect on a piece of cinema? Or more to the point reflected on an envisioned portrayal of mankind’s future? Well recently I have and two different depictions greatly jump out in my mind. First being the dystopian society of peace and security, or one in which mankind is traveling the universe and accomplishing miraculous...
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...Recycling- Good for the Environment Each person generates on average 4.4 pounds of waste per day. Enough energy is saved by recycling one aluminum can to light one 100 watt bulb for 20 hours. Most people don’t realize, but by recycling you can reduce global warming, it is good for the economy, and it protects our wildlife. Recycling will help our world last longer and become a better place. Recycling reduces global warming. One way is to recycle all paper products. Production of recycled paper uses 65% less energy than paper production using raw materials. Reducing energy consumption reduces greenhouse gas emissions. It also helps keep waste from piling in the landfills. By buying things with fewer package materials will also contribute to helping global warming. By recycling, it will help benefit to the economy. There are many economic benefits of recycling. One is the beverage container deposit law, which is a deposit- refund system. Another way that recycling is helpful to the economy is it reduces the water pollution. A lot of harmful chemicals and waste end up in the ocean because we have so much garbage. Less than 3% of the 500 million to 1 billion plastics generated worldwide are recycled. They often end up in the landfill or ocean. Recycling protects our wildlife. By recycling plastic, it will help keep the hazardous substances away from our wildlife while we (humans) also benefit from clean beaches and wetlands. The EPA estimates that more than 100,000 marine...
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...What is the manner in which you dispose waste? For individuals, Hong Kong people have many wasteful habits. Plastic bags, expanded-polystyrene lunchboxes and over-packaged products are commonly used. A recycling programme that provides recycling bins has also been running in schools since 2000 to enhance students' understanding of the importance of conserving resources and separating waste. The increase in the volume of recyclables collected over the years proves the success of the programme in turning students' awareness into action. Overall speaking, Hong Kong has an imminent waste problem. At present, we rely solely on our landfills to dispose of our waste. 40% of our waste are for recycling. We must address the waste problem in a holistic manner. This Policy Framework sets out a comprehensive strategy consisting of a series of tried and proven policy tools and measures to tackle our waste problem head on and achieve the following targets: |Target 1: |To reduce the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in Hong Kong by 1% per annum up to the year 2014. | |Target 2: |To increase the overall recovery rate of MSW to 45% by 2009 and 50% by 2014. | |Target 3: |To reduce the total MSW disposed of in landfills to less than 25% by 2014. | Tackling the Problem at Source Waste avoidance and minimization...
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...AIC REPORT Australian Council of Recycling TechClinics Summary Report “How can we document and recognise best practice in the Australian recycling industry?” July 2012 ACOR TechClinics Summary Report July 2012 REVISION HISTORY Client: Proposal: Prepared by: Contact Details: Ph: Email: Prepared For: Version: Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) ACOR TechClinics Summary Report The Australian Institute for Commercialisaton Sean Smith 07 3364 0602 sean.smith@ausicom.com Grant Musgrove 1.0 Brisbane | Sydney | Melbourne | Adelaide | Cairns | Gold Coast | Rockhampton a: Head Office 33 McKechnie Drive, Eight Mile Plains, QLD 4113 p: PO Box 4012, Eight Mile Plains, QLD 4113 t: 1300 364 739 f: +61 7 3364 0786 w: www.ausicom.com ABN 84 076 854 638 www.ausicom.com ACOR TechClinics Summary Report July 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 EVENT SUMMARY 1.1 TechClinic® Objectives 1.2 About TechClinics 1.3 TechClinic® Agenda 1.4 The Australian Recycling Industry Value Chain 2.0 EXPERT PRESENTATIONS 2.1 ACOR TechClinics Introduction 2.2 Queensland Case Study – Used Lube Oil Recycling 2.3 South Australia Case Study – Best Practice Process 2.1 New South Wales Case Study – Industrial Ecology 2.2 ACCC and Industry Codes of Conduct 3.0 TECHCLINIC® WORKSHOPS 3.1 What are the Opportunities for the Australian Recycling Industry? 3.2 Issues and Constraints 3.3 Needs – Brainstorming Best Practice Criteria 3.3.1 Brainstorming Best Practice Criteria 3.3.2 Brainstorming and...
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